- Delhi-Mahoba sleeper bus fire killed nine people.
- Overnight blaze trapped sleeping passengers, making escape extremely difficult.
- Police investigate fire cause; survivors recall chaotic, suffocating struggle.
Noida Yamuna Expressway Bus Fire: A routine overnight journey from Delhi towards Mahoba turned deadly after a sleeper bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida, killing nine people and leaving passengers scrambling for their lives. The incident took place around 11:30 pm on Wednesday, when many of those travelling were asleep.
Joint CP Rajeev Narayan Mishra confirmed that nine people died in the incident. Initial accounts put the number of passengers on board between 40 and 50, while separate information from officials cited by CNN-News18 suggested the bus had around 30-40 passengers. The Bihar-registered vehicle was travelling towards Mahoba when the fire broke out.
Fire Erupts Overnight
The sudden blaze triggered panic inside the bus as passengers woke to find smoke and flames spreading through the vehicle. With little time to react, several travellers attempted to escape through the doors and windows. Some reportedly jumped from the moving bus in an effort to get away from the rapidly spreading fire.
Emergency services were alerted after the blaze was noticed. Firefighters reached the location and began efforts to bring the flames under control. By then, however, much of the vehicle had already been engulfed.
The exact reason for the fire remains unclear. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and are questioning survivors to establish how the blaze started and how quickly it spread.
Passengers Struggle To Escape
The situation inside the sleeper bus became particularly dangerous because passengers were caught off guard while sleeping. Thick smoke reportedly reduced visibility inside the vehicle, while the rush to reach the exits created further difficulty.
One survivor, speaking to news agency ANI, recalled being woken by someone knocking on the door. She said: “I was asleep when someone banged on the door. When I woke up, there was already a huge crowd. I didn’t pick up any of my belongings; I didn’t even put on my shoes. I just grabbed my phone and stepped out.”
Describing the confusion inside the bus, she said people were pushing one another as they tried to get out.
Survivor Recalls Chaos
The passenger said the smoke made it difficult for people to understand what was happening or find a way out. She said: “It was so crowded that people were shoving each other. I was pushed around, and someone eventually pulled me out. I don’t remember anything else after that. It was completely filled with smoke; the scene was chaotic, and getting out was extremely difficult…It was so smoky that nothing was visible; people were suffocating inside.”
She further described how only a small number of passengers were able to make their way out amid the panic.
“Very few managed to escape, only those who could push their way out amidst the shoving…Many people lost their lives…There were quite a few people behind me who probably couldn’t make it out, as I myself got out quite late, she said
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